


the past, the present

by saunatonttu



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: M/M, TYL, dealing with past mistakes is hard, post Future Arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 14:16:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4140876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saunatonttu/pseuds/saunatonttu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“War requires sacrifices,” Shouichi said quietly as he changed into his pyjamas, for once not sleeping on whatever flat surface he happened to work at. “Even if the physical ones were nullified by the end of it, that doesn’t make all of them nonexistent.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	the past, the present

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sizhu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sizhu/gifts).



Now that Dino thought about it, Shouichi hadn’t cried over Byakuran (Dino inwardly bristled at the thought of that name) at all since the mission of dethroning the maniacal not-quite human had come to an end.

Dino had noticed the look of devastation that had crossed his face when Byakuran burned away in Tsuna’s flames, screams dying in Byakuran’s throat as his life ran out.

Shouichi’s eyes had widened, his nose scrunching up slightly -- and it would have been adorable, if not for the raw feeling of something important withering away right before Shouichi.

His hands had trembled, the one holding onto his crutch shaking harder than the other, but Shouichi had gathered his composure quickly, the wrinkle between his brows smoothing out as he smiled at the Vongola Guardians of the past, ignoring Dino’s worried glances.

That smile had been genuine, no doubt about it, but after an even more honest show of heart-wrenching pain, Dino found it hard to feel completely content with the situation.

 

.

.

.

 

“War requires sacrifices,” Shouichi said quietly as he changed into his pyjamas, for once not sleeping on whatever flat surface he happened to work at. “Even if the physical ones were nullified by the end of it, that doesn’t make all of them nonexistent.”

He sounded tense, tired. Like he had been having trouble sleeping for an eternity, like he was more familiar with the hard steel floors than soft mattresses.

Dino sighed, as he once more thought back to the wide-eyed shock that had burned so brightly on Shouichi’s face back then (weeks, months ago - and since then, many things had changed.

Yet, too many hadn’t.)

“You don’t need to sacrifice your sleep anymore,” he said, gentle firmness behind the evenly spoken Italian. “Come to bed.”

Their relationship was one of the changes that had occurred after the Byakuran disaster had been dealt with, and one that Shouichi had seemed ready to embrace despite whatever traumas that lurked behind the calm surface. Despite whatever insecurities that ate at him when Dino wasn’t looking (when no one was looking).

Shouichi was slowly learning to be more open with him (and others), so the next words didn’t come completely out of the blue.

“I’m sorry.”

Then again, Dino mused, Shouichi was a pathological apologizer, accompanied with nervous looks and sweaty hands and stomach aches that were the clearest sign of his anxiety.

 _You’re not as bad as you make yourself out to be,_ DIno wanted to say, but the words seemed harsh to his ears, like he was blatantly ignoring Shouichi’s own feelings about the matter. (Like he was saying that Shouichi was making a big deal out of nothing for shits and giggles, when that was the farthest thing from truth.)

“Don’t be,” Dino said, pulling himself into a sitting position on the king-sized bed (it had be that big, otherwise he’d fall off and hurt himself, and Romario wouldn’t let him hear the end of it). “No one blames you for youthful mistakes.”

“Gokudera-kun does.”

“Gokudera’s… a special case.”

“...Besides, I wasn’t apologizing for that,” Shouichi added as he finished dressing himself up for the night and turned towards the bed, thick-framed glasses doing absolutely nothing to hide the sad look in his eyes. “I’m sorry you have to put up with me, Dino-san.”

Shouichi climbed onto the bed after setting his glasses down on the nightstand, muscles stiff and face tense as he carefully allowed Dino to pull him close, close enough for both of them to breath the other in.

“Loving you isn’t _putting up with you_ , Shou,” Dino sighed, some laughter in his voice. “I’m glad to have you here, and I’d have you again if you so wanted.” It was too bad their summer reprieve from mafia couldn’t be too long -- Tsunayoshi couldn’t afford to have his brilliant strategist and scientist be gone for too long, and DIno too had his own obligations (to Cavallone family, to his little brother, to people he wanted to protect).

“I really,” DIno continued, a silly grin tugging at his lips, “am most fond of you, Irie Shouichi. I don’t intend to let you forget that as long as--” _we both shall live_ almost left his mouth, but Dino managed to swallow them back in. There were only so many morbid things he was allowed to say before heäd jinx himself.

Then again, Dino was in his thirties and he had seen the worst of what the world could offer (death, always having to look over your shoulder, distrust everywhere) so he wasn’t really intimidated. Worried, of course, but he’d do everything he could to make things work both for Tsuna and for Shouichi and for their mafia families.

“As long as you’re with me, Shou,” Dino added after a too-long pause, draping an arm over Shouichi’s waist, and listened to the sharp inhale Shouichi took. Dino’s eyes softened when he saw the quiver of the other’s shoulders and felt the short-cut nails dig into Dino’s side.

Shouichi snorted. “You’re rather sappy and impractical with your declarations of love, Dino-san.”

“Since when was love practical?” Dino shot back, pressing a kiss on Shouichi’s forehead before tilting his own head back to get a good look at Shouichi’s facial expression. “Never, that’s when.”

Shouichi’s face was relaxed, a hint of a smile on his lips, green eyes gentle even as they squinted to see Dino’s face properly, making Shouichi’s nose scrunch up adorably. Dino, well, he could appreciate cute things. Very much.

“You don’t have to sacrifice personal happiness for practicality, Shou,” Dino continued, leaning back in until their foreheads met. “You deserve much more than what you were given in the past.” Dino hoped his tone was light, gentle, without a hint of scorn.

(But honestly, the thought of Byakuran still grated on his nerves, irritating Dino to the bottom of his heart.)

Shouichi’s face was red, almost the same shade of his hair, and Dino couldn’t help but laugh at the sight that was enhanced by the dying light of the sunset that trickled into the bedroom of Dino’s summer mansion.

“Dino-san, please,” Shouichi sighed, the lines around his eyes relaxing, and his lips curling up into a smile. “You don’t have to say these things to make me feel better.”

“I say them because I mean them, Shou.”

“I know,” Shouichi sighed, and closed the distance to plant a kiss on the corner of Dino’s mouth. “I appreciate it. I appreciate you, Dino-san.” Shouichi’s breath tingled on Dino’s skin even after Shouichi had pulled away, tucking his head into a pillow to hide whatever self-consciousness he felt for saying such things.

“Me too,” Dino smiled, burying his nose into the waves of red hair and pulling Shouichi closer against his chest, completely content on ending another day like this with the person he had fallen for like he usually fell from the stairs.

Maybe one day they would both be fine leaving the past ghosts where they belonged -- in the past.

**Author's Note:**

> shipping population: me and u   
> what could be better than this


End file.
